# Josh Phifer

> Josh Phifer is the Colorado Springs-based founder and CEO of Barn Owl Tech, which builds cellular camera systems for remote properties. Raised around ranches in Wyoming and Nebraska, he attended the U.S. Air Force Academy, served as an F-22 instructor and operational test pilot, and earned a Wharton MBA in 2017. His early ranch-monitoring venture evolved from drones and water sensors into cameras after customer testing. Barn Owl now serves agricultural, municipal, industrial and military customers.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at Barn Owl Tech, Inc.
- **Organizations:** Barn Owl Tech, Inc., U.S. Air Force, U.S. Air Force Reserve, Air Force-MIT AI Accelerator, Exponential Impact, Peak Startup
- **Education:** Bachelor’s in Operations Research, United States Air Force Academy, Master’s in Aeronautical Science, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, MBA, Entrepreneurial Management, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
- **Known for:** Co-winner with Vincent Kuchar of a $10,000 Veteran Shark Tank prize in December 2016., Built Barn Owl from an early ranch-monitoring venture into a remote-camera business profiled by Wharton Magazine in 2025 with 16 employees., Principal investigator on Barn Owl’s 2020 $50,000 Air Force SBIR Phase I award.

## Career timeline

- **Before 2015** — Served as an F-22 instructor and evaluator pilot, operational test pilot, and division commander for operational test and evaluation.
- **2015** — Entered Wharton; described starting an aerospace company as his ambition.
- **2016** — Barn Owl Systems was a Wharton Business Plan Competition finalist; Barn Owl joined Venture Lab’s Fall 2016 VIP-X cohort.
- **2016** — With Vincent Kuchar, won a $10,000 Veteran Shark Tank prize on December 6.
- **2017** — Completed his Wharton MBA; shifted to cellular cameras at the end of the year after testing water sensors.
- **2019** — Described mentoring at Exponential Impact and serving on the Peak Startup council; Barn Owl received a $240,000 Colorado advanced-industries grant.
- **2020** — Named principal investigator on a $50,000 Air Force SBIR Phase I surveillance award.
- **2024** — Barn Owl secured non-dilutive growth capital from Cypress; the investor described his Air Force-MIT AI Accelerator directorship.
- **2025** — Wharton Magazine profiled Barn Owl’s growth to 16 employees.

## Achievements

- Co-winner with Vincent Kuchar of a $10,000 Veteran Shark Tank prize in December 2016.
- Built Barn Owl from an early ranch-monitoring venture into a remote-camera business profiled by Wharton Magazine in 2025 with 16 employees.
- Principal investigator on Barn Owl’s 2020 $50,000 Air Force SBIR Phase I award.
- Led Barn Owl as it secured Cypress Growth Capital investment in June 2024.

## Latest updates

- **2025-10** — A Barn Owl blog post under his byline featured first-generation operators Jay and Charlotte at Algiere Ranch.
- **2025-09** — A post under his byline explained RangeCam Live’s livestreaming use for remote security.

## Links

- Website: https://barnowl.tech
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshdphifer

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/josh-phifer
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-15